Jonathan Hanson
a finger on the pulse
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Potentially life-saving and innovative statistical research in a city rich with cultural influences (and a West Iberian Romance language to boot) sounded almost too good to be true for physics and Spanish major Jonathan Hanson. Yet, that’s exactly the kind of opportunity Wofford’s International Program’s office helped land for him when he began his search for a summer internship. Jonathan was able to spend two and a half months at the Juiz de Fora University in Brazil running heart simulations using algorithms based on small CT scans and a type of numerical analysis called adaptive mesh refinement to generate accurate, predictable models of individual human hearts. This method, once perfected, will allow future medical professionals to determine a heart patient’s health and risk using only a small portion of cardiac tissue in a fraction of the time and cost of current methods. Jonathan believes his experience with this process will not only enhance his grad school ambitions, but will also prepare him for future variations of similar models after graduation.